Collecting Cleveland Indians Topps team sets from 1952-present, as well as post-war minor and major league autographs.
New Arrival: Matt Wilkinson, sp, Cleveland Guardians … It feels like it’s been a long time since a Cleveland minor league season ended and I was happy with the development of the prospects. But here we are. It’s refreshing to have some optimism about the talent coming up through the[…]
… Jose Ramirez had another great season in 2024, with a 143 OPS+ and a sixth All-Star selection. He nearly ended the season by joining the 40/40 club, but would fall one homerun short. … Ramirez has not performed quite as well in the playoffs, hitting .188 with a .350[…]
I’ve been a fan of Corbin Carroll since he was in low-A with the Hillsboro Hops. I was thrilled when he broke out in 2023, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award, made his first All-Star game, and ended 5th in MVP voting. He was a thrilling player,[…]
From the Field: Travis Fryman, if, Cleveland Baseball … Travis Fryman. Years ago, when he was managing Cleveland’s low-A team in Mahoning Valley, I drove down there three nights in a row trying to get him. I assumed, as a manager, that he would not be difficult. He was. And[…]
This 2000 Fleer Tradition Jose Ortiz ranked #107 on Beckett’s 2005 All-Time Hot List. It’s also a personal favorite of mine. … In 2001, the Oakland Athletics were in the middle of the Moneyball Era. Their top prospect coming into the season was infielder Jose Ortiz, who in 2000 was[…]
Part of my collection is acquiring the first card–generally, the first minor league issued–cards of prominent Cleveland Guardians players. I was happy to add these two over the weekend. Mostly happy.
Despite the rain–which has been a theme almost every time I have ventured out to a prep game this season–I was able to finally get one of the best players in the state, Iolani’s Chase Thompson. @chase.hawaii A two-way player, he is widely regarded as the best player in the 2027[…]
Charles Nagy is one of the few players whose first card is a Topps base card (1988 Topps Traded #74T). So those were the only Nagy cards I had in my collection until I added these 1989 Star cards, which are his first minor league issues. And since my collection[…]
In 2019 Beckett rated the Top 80 cards of the 1980’s. This 1982 Topps Cal Ripken Jr. #21 (rookie card) came in at #12.
C.J. Kayfus @ckayfus was drafted by Cleveland in the 3rd round of the 2023 draft out of the University of Miami. He is also having an amazing start to the 2023 season.